Springtime And Back On The Trail

 Various diversions, including a snowy winter, kept me from having a proper hike in Hubbard Park. That is, until this week.

Visit #1591, Saturday 28 March 26, 8:45-11:25AM, 4.8 miles, 3.8 lbs. of litter (not including the chair.

Temps in the upper 30s with a cold wind from the north.

As you'll read shortly, I rode my bike to Hubbard Park a couple times this week which I didn't add to my tally.

Enroute to the park one of those days, I passed a parked pickup truck with a bumper sticker that said:

No Air Bags

We Die Like Real Men

I thought that was funny, sorta related to Hubbard Park, and worth sharing.

Last Thursday I took a mountain bike ride through the trails but due to time constraints and the setting sun I had to abbreviate my route. And good thing I did, because reaching the Halfway House I found a newly fallen tree.

Combined with another fallen tree I discovered back when there was snow on the ground, I felt it worthwhile to lug the chainsaw with me this weekend.

Hiking to the trail on Saturday morning, I found this quasi-puff jacket stuffed under a log. It's in serviceable condition and it's washed and drying already. I'll take it to Goodwill next week.

And here's the fallen tree by the Halfway House.

I hiked up to Castle Craig and followed a trail down to the second, and last, fallen tree.

Back on the road around Merimere Reservoir, I encountered more activity than on the trails.

Here's Cat Graffiti #s 19, 20, and 21, since November 2016. I removed all of them.

You can see my magic potion working on one of the three.

And the final result on all three.

Returning to the park to drop off my bag of litter, I picked up this abandoned camp chair.

But there was some unfinished work from Thursday's bike ride so I rode to Hubbard Park again on Sunday.

The birch tree on the trail leading to the walkbridge over I-691 continues to see someone persistently defile it. I covered over the red paint with flat black.

I found and removed yet more stickers from these popular fence posts at the I-691 walkbridge. Since I was on my bike I didn't have the tools with me to do a more thorough job.

I removed foam sticker #s 14 and 15 of 2026. I will not tally up those I've found in prior years but will begin a total this year.

Lastly,  I found and removed one more cat graffiti, #22 since November 2016.

I'm Done Mucking About

 

Time for my annual trompfest/cleanup of Crow Hollow Brook and the brook running from Merimere Reservoir, both in Hubbard Park.

Visit #1590, Saturday 21 March 26, 12:45-4:00PM, 3.0  miles, 42.2 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 50s, mostly sunny and breezy.

Last week, after painting over the graffiti, I kitted up for some litter patrol on the trails. Leaving the parking lot, I was stopped by a woman who asked if I was a city employee.

"No; why do you ask?" To which she replied she noticed all the litter in the brook.

"It's from all the 'outsiders'," she said.

"You mean to tell me locals don't litter, too?" I replied.

"It's from the "blank" outsiders, and I'll leave you to fill in the blank."

Whoa.

She had this look in her eyes like she made her own tinfoil hats. I knew I had to get away from her and quick, before she fitted me with one.

I clean the brooks and their banks once a year about this time anyway so that's what I did this week.

All the bags were disposed of properly.

Along the way I found Season of the Missing Glove 2025/26, entry #15.

In past years I wore a pair of wellies while trudging around the swampy banks and occasionally stepping in the water. But they had their limitations. I needed to up my game for those times when the water is really deep. 

This year my equipment rose to the occasion. Definitely the right tool for the job.

Almost complete with this annual task, I took a minute to rest and enjoy the view.

Back On Track

 Visit #1589, Sunday March 26, 10:35AM-1:25PM, 4.1 miles, 13.1 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 40s, cloudy with rain developing beginning early Monday morning.

With much of this winter's snow melted, it was time to address some graffiti which I noticed late last year on the I-691 underpass. I had been itching to get to it for months!

At that time, temps were too cold to paint over it. Conditions today were right to do so before Monday's rain.

Thanks to our detail oriented graffiti artist, you'll notice they dated the year of their work on the leftmost bridge piling. That assured me I wasn't off my game and missed seeing it for a lengthy period of time.

Reaching the site required going through numerous thorn bushes. I had expected this but didn't want to clear my path as I went, which would just make it easier for the next vandal, so I endured and left the growth untouched.

Good thing I checked my gray paint supply earlier this week. I didn't think I would have enough to complete the job so I bought a new can.

Looks nice and tidy if you ask me.

That took all of 45 minutes including the trip to and fro. I dropped off my paint and supplies, removed my coveralls, and started my regular hike.

Up at the water treatment plant I found a couple bags of trash left at the gate. Looking at the contents from the outside of the bags it didn't look like typical litter so I'm not sure whether there's a duplicate of me roaming the park.

A pleasant surprise: the camping gear I removed from Mine Island on a cold day back in January is gone. One fewer tasks for me.

Reaching the I-691 walkbridge I found six instances of this graffiti, which I removed. Much easier than the bridge pilings.

And here are this week's sticker entries on the fence post at the south end of the walkbridge, prior to my removal.

On the trail back to the parking lot I found Lee's medical admission bracelet. Identifying information has been redacted; it's just like The Epstein Files!

Back at the playscape parking lot, the garbage can was overflowing with trash. There's no way I was going to add to that pile, so I took it all home for Monday's trash pickup.

The Unseemly Side of Hubbard Park

 

The morning fog greatly reduced visibility. You might say it made things "un-see(m)-able".

Visit #1588, Saturday 7 March 26, 6:00-7:15AM, 2.2 miles, 18.8 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 30s rising to the 40s, cloudy, foggy, intermittent drizzle.

A quick assessment of trail conditions when I arrived at the park made me conclude it would be a slow slushy slog. I started walking on the road toward the trails and within seconds spied some litter and decided my time today would be better spent picking up trash within the park instead. With all the snow this year litter was virtually non-existent on the trails and other trail maintenance could surely wait a week or two.

So what triggered my change of plans?

I found more than one condom today.

I canvassed all the roads within the park. I wonder whether my findings were an accumulation throughout the winter revealed with the melting snow, or recent.

That's just a sample. I found DOZENS of nip bottles, with other alcoholic containers a close second. Food containers vied for top spot as well.

One unique find was on Notch Road adjacent to the bandshell.

A car went on a quick weight reduction program. It appears it spontaneously left the roadway, ran over some rock curbing, and...

I wonder whether the diversion was caused by snow or any of the substances I found in the park.

Best I could do with my hands being full is relocate the car parts to the skate house to hopefully be found and collected by the parks department. I must say the renovations to the skate house are stylish and impressive.

In total I collected two bags of litter but forgot to photograph the second bag.

Forecasts call for rising temperatures all week. With a little luck that will make the trails a little more accessible.